Using Stories in Teaching

We have recently written a book called “Using Stories in Teaching”. It was published by HERDSA – the Higher Educations Research and Development Society of Australasia and the book is one of its “HERDSA Guides”. It was written by Frances Miley and Amy Griffin from UNSW and Coralie McCormack, Barbara Cram, Robert Kennelly and me from the University of Canberra. Copies of the book can be ordered from HERDSA.

Using stories to teach is extremely common and has been used in every culture we have examined and has been used for at least as long as records exist. Cave paintings are an example of teaching through stories. If storytelling is ubiquitous in both time and place, what can we add in this book? We think we can add a lot.

We look at using stories from two side: the teacher’s and the student’s. From the teacher’s side we explain how differing technologies and differing story genre can be used to deliver stories and the advantages and pitfalls of those technologies and genre. The part that we think is particularly useful are the sections that explain how stories can be developed by students to demonstrate their understanding and knowledge.

We hope academics find this book useful and that it gives them ideas on how they can use or expand their use of stories in teaching.